BENGALURU: Lawyers defending Darshan and his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, who have been arrested along with 11 others on charges of murdering 33-year-old intrusive fan Renukaswamy, argued against the extension of their police custody when all the accused were presented before the court on Saturday evening.
“How was Darshan responsible for the death when he had already left the place? Pavithra, being the lone woman in custody, is facing a lot of mental agony,” the lawyers stated.But the preliminary round of the legal battle culminated in the court extending the police custody of the accused for another five days.
What was the clincher? First came the appointment of advocate Prasanna Kumar P as the special public prosecutor (SPP). Second was his startling statement: The victim (Renukaswamy) was given electric shocks as part of the torture by the accused! The SPP said Renukaswamy’s body bore 39 injuries including 7-8 burns. The court was requested to extend the custody of the accused by nine days and here are six reasons cited by police.
1) Need to retrieve mobile data
While pointing out that they have already seized the mobiles of around 10 suspects, including Darshan and Pavithra, police explained that some people had refused to share passwords to unlock their phones while many had deleted all data (call records and messages). “This calls for extraction of mobile data of the accused persons and to record their statements on the findings. It is pertinent that their custody be extended to prevent destruction or disappearance of evidence,” police stated.
2) Deep dive into social media accounts
Police also told the court that they have to retrieve the data related to the social media accounts of the suspects, mainly accused number 1, Pavithra, because the main trigger was the communication between her and Renukaswamy on social media accounts. Cops will also have to check the role of accused number 3, Pavan, as he is believed to have created a fake account to trap Renukaswamy.
3) Need to take the accused for spot mahazar
Police said they need to take a few of the suspects for spot mahazar to Mysuru and Chitradurga. The accused had travelled to Mysuru (from where Darshan had been arrested) and other places before being arrested.
4) Suspect has to attend his father’s final rites
Police also informed the court that they have to take an accused, Anu Kumar alias Anu, to his father’s final rites in Chitradurga. Soon after his father learned about Anu’s arrest, he died of cardiac arrest. His family refused to go ahead with the funeral without his presence.
5) Have to seize the clothes of some accused
Police told the court that they have already seized the clothes of a few accused persons, including Darshan and Pavitra, which were worn by them on the day of the assault on June 8. However, the clothes of a few other accused persons are yet to be seized.
6) Equipment used to give electric shocks
Since there were burns on Renukaswamy’s body, police said they need the accused to trace the devices used to administer electric shocks on the victim. The devices used will also be considered as weapons to kill.